author
Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines) Johnson
1908–1973
A towering figure in 20th-century American politics, he rose from the Texas Hill Country to the White House and pushed through some of the era’s most important civil rights and social legislation. His life also carries the tension of great ambition and reform set against the deep controversy of the Vietnam War.
1 Audiobook
State of the Union Addresses
by Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines) Johnson
About the author
Born in Stonewall, Texas, in 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson grew up in the Hill Country and began his career as a teacher before moving into politics. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives, then the U.S. Senate, where he became one of the most powerful congressional leaders of his time. After serving as vice president under John F. Kennedy, he became the 36th president of the United States following Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
Johnson’s presidency was marked by sweeping domestic change. He championed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and he launched the Great Society, a broad program aimed at reducing poverty and expanding opportunity. His administration also backed Medicare, Medicaid, federal education support, and major immigration reform, leaving a lasting mark on American public life.
At the same time, his legacy remains deeply complicated by the Vietnam War, which expanded dramatically during his years in office and helped drive down public support. He chose not to seek another term in 1968 and retired to his ranch in Texas, where he died in 1973. That mix of legislative brilliance, political force, and national division has made him one of the most debated presidents in American history.